Memoirs
by thedreamoath
Summary: Essentially recalling the life of Seto Kaiba as I see him, in the few years that he decided to keep a journal. Contains Prodigy/Arrogant/Trust Shipping. It does come to a bit of an abrupt halt, but that's because what I based it off of ended. I apologize.


Domino. The only place I would call home, if I had to pick. It started out simple, as anyone would have guessed. Nothing exciting happens to the CEO of a major corporation, not to me at any rate. But it turns out, that this year, the city had a different idea.

I was happy by myself. Mokuba was, and I had assumed always would be, my one and only companion. As the days and weeks went by, people started to come out of the woodwork. Yuugi, Bakura, and that freak Pegasus were amongst them. Even that loser Katsuya and his trashy girl showed up. I remember her distinctly. She would taunt, torture, and generally harass me for no better reasons than the fact that she had nothing better to do. Her loser was never around, so she took to me, following me around like a lost animal. Unlike the animals, she didn't leave when prompted. Everywhere I went, no matter what I was doing, she was there. She followed me around work, around town, even into my own home! I don't know if I gave in just to make life more bearable, or if I actually started to take a liking to her. It was probably the former because I had no interest or use for women at that point. Nonetheless, she was an unwanted addition to my daily lifestyle.

Pegasus. He was the master at ruining events by either hosting them, or participating in them. He decided shortly after he showed up that a tournament was in order. He was under the misconception that people of this city (myself included) were partial to social outings. A ball. A ball of all things he decided to throw; and he made it mandatory for all those going to participate in his tournament. That was the last place I wanted to be, in a crowded room with _that_ freak. But I had no choice if I was to show Domino that I was the best. I started my own tournament, with more grandeur and a larger prize then that idiot Pegasus could ever hope to offer. I was pleased with myself. To the point where I actually felt happiness as opposed to just glee. I was in my house, taking a brief shower, and god only knows why, but I was singing to celebrate my tournament plans. Mokuba deemed it appropriate to video tape me doing so, and that wretched Kujaku woman somehow managed to get it from him. Blackmail was the name of her game, and I had no choice but to play along. She was going to release the video to the public unless I swore to meet her demands. And demands they were. Three million dollars, as much and the grand prize of my tournament, and a trip to Paris. I begrudgingly accepted, seeing as my reputation was at stake and the three million dollars could be gotten back easily whereas my reputation wouldn't. So I had a few days of peace until she returned, which I secretly hoped she wouldn't.

But all good things must come to an end, and she returned, much to my chagrin, even more energized and ready to annoy me at a moment's notice. After days upon days of constant aggravation on her part, I came up with the idea that perhaps, just perhaps, if I took her out for a night on the town, she would desist in her belligerent bothering. There is a steakhouse on the beach; I used to frequent there on business trips, or often enough, alone. It is a higher class restaurant, and I have a private booth, sitting right by the bay window, facing the ocean. I took her there. We sat, had dinner and a few drinks, and got to talking. It was unusual for me to converse this much, especially with a woman, but something about her was alluring. The way she moved, the way she drew me in with her bright purple eyes. I couldn't shake it, so I went with the flow. After desserts and the bill, I took her down to the beach to walk along the surf. We talked further, of life, of romance, of families. All subjects that were neither my strong point, nor in my interest. We stopped about halfway down the beach, seeing as it was getting dark and we were about to head back when she did something unexplainable. We were so close I could feel her heart beat, her hot breath on my neck, her lips against mine. She had kissed me out of the blue, and caught me by surprise. It was, sadly enough, the first time I had ever kissed a woman, and although I didn't admit it then, I enjoyed it. We walked back, me in a slight daze, to her apartment to go our separate ways until we met again. She wished me good night and left me to my business. I hoped I would see her again soon.

Days, maybe even weeks later, that loser's sister showed up, clinging to Kujaku like a leech. Everywhere Kujaku went, she did; which unfortunately meant that I was subject to her company more often than not. I was less than amused. But Kujaku and her wily ways made it seem bearable, as she would shush me or bribe me with hints and tastes of love, much like what we shared on the beach that night. I fell for it every time, like a love-struck moron. I wanted more but wouldn't admit it. Not to myself, not to anyone. Not if I could help it. But the general public, seeing us together immediately assumed the worst. I denied any accusation of a relationship, but deep down, I subtly hoped that it would turn into one. On an off day in the middle of spring, that asshole Marik showed up, searching for a reason to hurt people. He found me, alone in my office and began to spout nonsense about Kujaku and I being together. And although he wasn't physically in my office, I could hear him as clear as day, egging me on, making me beg and plead and swear that she wasn't with me, only to bring up painful memories such as the kiss on the beach, which only reassured him of my longing situation. He left after his fun was done, leaving me to wonder if I should pursue this woman further, or sever all ties before it was too late. The more I tried to avoid her, the more she seemed to be there, hovering, watching, waiting to tease me with her slight, suggestive movements. She had brought Shizuka over to my house again, unwanted as usual. She suggested that we go to the park, and enjoy the good weather while it lasted. I begrudgingly accepted the proposal and got the car ready to go. I wasn't about to take one of my many limos out to the park, not with two girls and myself in the back. The weather got increasingly worse as the day progressed, to the point where it started to rain once we got in the park. I refused to budge from my dry seat, but Kujaku and the girl seemed to think it would be fun to dance in the wet weather, using my car radio as entertainment. I couldn't understand these female minds. They always wanted to do the unexplainable, and always on the spur of the moment. If this trend continued, I would be stuck with two very soggy, and possibly sick women that I would have to tend to. Not my idea of an afternoon. The rain eventually began to let up, and as it did, a figure came out of the bushes. Marik. That asshole had followed us into the park and to where we were resting. He had the intent to hurt us, mainly Kujaku. I vaguely remember him having an unhealthy fascination with the woman, not that it was any of my concern. The little one, ran into my car, locking the doors, and I was forced to stand up to this freak to prevent any harm happening to anyone. Why I did is still beyond me. My shouts and advances seemed to deter him enough to make him leave for the time being. I never wanted to see him again, none of us did. I don't think I did for quite some time after that incident. We drove home. I wanted to be out of the presence of these flaky women and back to my cold, hard, reliable machinery. They rarely went astray unless there was a technical error on my part. I was content again.

Days went by and I decided to revisit the scene of the incident with the Egyptian freak. Nothing out of the ordinary, no clues to his whereabouts; nothing, except a bright purple jacket. No one else in this city wears that color, I immediately recognized it as Kujaku's. Still being in a hazy state of mind, I decided to return the article, purely for my gain. I knew that if I had found it, and left it there, I would never hear the end of it from her. Driving up to her door, I knocked. She answered, looking half amused, half interested. I held out the jacket indicating my purpose was this and nothing more. She took it as a sign of interest and asked me to stay for tea. I accepted her offer, and sat down on the couch while she prepared the beverages. Several minutes later, she emerged from her bathroom, bathed, clean, and smelling slightly of lavender. I ridiculed her for taking excessively long in washing and she sat down next to me and grinned. She knew I hated it, hated her being so close to me. Hated knowing that I wanted her, but I could never have her. I inched away, trying to make the most distance between us. She glared at me, muttering something about being nicer, I told her the same, that I was sick of her arguing with me constantly. She mockingly knelt down before me and professed her unworthiness. Grinning, I told her to go lay down on the bed, knowing full well that she wouldn't comply. She did, much to my astonishment, and I followed in a daze, wondering if I should take advantage of the situation. Pulling off my coat and shoes, I climbed subtly on top of her, her robust curves in my grasp. She knew that she was powerless against me. I slid a hand slowly up her nightgown, her skin, much softer than I had ever imagined. She tugged on my shirt, pulling it slowly off, removing her nightgown in the process. My heart was racing, my hands moved on their own accord, up and down her sides, every second a thrill. She pulled me in for a deep kiss, grabbing my wrists in the process, guiding them slowly to her breasts. I froze. This was the first time I had ever been this close to a woman, to touching a woman. She rubbed seductively against me, sucking on my lower lip. I had no choice but to succumb to her movements, she wanted me, and I, her.

We lay side by side, panting, sweaty but thoroughly fulfilled. I had never experienced anything like it before, and was still replaying it all through my head. She glanced at me, her eyes full of lust. I could tell that she enjoyed it, and wanted me all the more. I contemplated leaving, when her fingers trailed down my arm. She wanted more. Who was I to deny her this pleasure? More confident in myself, I took charge of this round, making her writhe and moan at my touch.

We didn't see much of each other the following days; but there wasn't a day that I didn't think about her. I even asked her to be my date, yes my date, for Pegasus' ball. She didn't give me a straight answer, I think that loser Jounouchi got to her first. I wasn't about to back down now. I showed up precisely on time, dressed in my crispest blue suit. Most of the other losers were already there. Ishizu, her freakishly large brother, Shizuka, Jounouchi, Yuugi, Pegasus [flamboyant as ever], and of course, her. There was a buffet situated off to the side of the dance floor, and just as I had suspected, that loser was stuffing his face. Kujaku was left alone on the floor, with no one but myself to ask her for a dance. She accepted without hesitation. As the dance wore on, I saw out of the corner of my eye Jounouchi dancing with Yuugi in an attempt to regain his dignity. That little blond brat didn't seem amused with the pairings. The next dance started and that loser finally got the courage to attempt to ask for 'his' woman back. I declined. Yuugi piped up, trying to defend Jounouchi, I shoved him aside. Then that loser butt in again. I told him to keep his mouth shut and stop fighting Yuugi's battles for him. Much to my amazement, Yuugi stood up for himself, and attempted to tackle me. My fist met his nose squarely, breaking it badly enough to send him to the hospital. Jounouchi flew in after him and all hell broke loose. If it hadn't have been for that freak that Ishizu calls a brother, I would have pounded both Katsuya and Yuugi into oblivion.

The news of the ball incident travelled like a forest fire over Domino. There wasn't a man or woman alive who didn't know the outcome of that event. Not that I cared. I came out the victor and that's all that matters. But Kujaku seemed distant as well. Did she actually care for that loser over me? I could provide for her, and treat her like a queen, but she still leaned towards the lower class. It was unintelligible in my books. She was still around [now with that little blond brat] but was more distant than ever. Her movements suggested longing, but her words were clear. No. I wasn't used to hearing that word uttered to me. It was always "Yes sir, Kaiba" or "Right away sir, Kaiba" but never "no". It got to the point where she would bribe me with affection. My longing for her was so strong that I actually succumbed to the woman. I would beg her, make deals with her, just for her to touch me, to hold me, to kiss me. At one point the yearning was so overpowering, I did something foolish. She had suggested many times that my hair should be a different color. I told her to get lost. She was persistent. I caved under the pressure and the promise of a sweet kiss from the woman I was smitten with. The blonde brat wanted in on this as well. She, also had a fascination with me, but I believed in a different way. They set out their tools and began to work. Little did I know that I was subject to the cruel and unusual punishment of the female mind. Green. Of all the colors of the rainbow they chose green. I had no choice now, Seto Kaiba never backs down or goes back on his word. By the time they were finished, Rebecca was cackling like a banshee over it, Kujaku was more suave, saying it suited me. I didn't care what either of them thought. I had held up my end of the bargain. It was time for her to do the same. It was late into the evening when she approached me again, hesitantly. I watched her silently, allowing her to make the first move. I didn't want to seem eager. She sat down beside me, wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me slowly, sweetly. I was fulfilled yet again.

I woke up the next morning in shock. Had my hair really been dyed green? Glancing in a mirror I saw that the nightmare was indeed real. The second point hit me: I had promised to take Kujaku and her pint-sized companion to the beach to play volleyball. Dammit all to hell. I wasn't about to go out like this. Not in a public place where I can't easily slip into the shadows and alleys to avoid people. The press would have a goddamn field day if they saw me. I refused to leave. There was no other way around it. They would have to whine, beg and plead at me some other time to go. I wasn't leaving. They showed up, dressed for the beach, Kujaku was dressed in no more than was necessary. Jaw hanging, I glanced at Rebecca, who was much more conservatively, not that I cared what that bratty know-it-all was dressed in. She had also managed to make it into the final round of my tournament, facing off against none other than myself when the time came. I looked at them with my sternest look, but their wavering eyes and quivering lips were too much for me to put up with. I gave in yet again to these women. We drove to the beach which was, much to my surprise, quite deserted. The job of lugging the balls and the nets to the posts was shoved on me, as the women deemed it too heavy a job for the likes of them. Ugh. We played, myself on one side, the girls on the other, for a while, until they got bored and wanted to sunbathe. Why would anyone in their right mind just lay in the sun for hours. I grumbled and proceeded to pack up our belongings. They followed soon after knowing that I had brought them there, and should I leave without them, that they would be screwed. Another pointless day, wasted on these women.

Rebecca. Again she seemed to have an infatuation with me, but not in a romantic way. She wanted a job, a career, something that she could use to pursue her schooling. The very next day, she asked me for employment to my face. I laughed at her. I told her that no little girl is about to get a job, and a decent one no less, in KaibaCorp while I'm alive. Her pouts were far less effective than Kujaku's. So she turned to Pegasus. Knowing him, he hired her, partially because he felt sorry for her, partially out of spite. I didn't care which reason it was, I only cared that she would stop rubbing it in my face. I'm not a mean person, I just know what I want and don't bother with anything that could get in my way. To take my mind off of recent events, I went back to my projects, back to constructing a smaller, more efficient version of my already widely popular Duel Disk; the Duel Watch. It was revolutionary. No deck, no cards needed to carry around. The cards were scanned into the system's memory and programmed into a deck. It was genius, but the prototypes [which were made by hand] were too expensive to sell to the masses. I had two, one blue, one purple. I left the latter on Kujaku's doorstep for her to find at a later time and went back to working on bigger ideas.

It was brought to my attention a few days later that the oh so proud Rebecca was leaving, going back home to America with her grandfather. This was the perfect opportunity to terminate her from the ridings in the tournament. She was livid. I told her that those were the rules and to learn to abide by them in future times. I wasn't completely heartless. I did give her a third of the prize money, so that brat still ended up with a million dollars to tack on to her name and American title of 'Champion'. That loser's sister seemed to have disappeared around that time as well. It didn't bother me, but Kujaku seemed ruffled by the sudden disappearance of everyone. They weren't the last. I had had enough of this city, of the women abusing me, of the morons trying to fight me, of everything. I had Mokuba fire up my jet and I took off, to some place away from everything that was bothering me. And yet, all I could think about was her. The whole week I did nothing but wonder about her, if she missed me, or if she even noticed me gone. I returned, hoping that things would be different, but this city never changes. She was waiting for me when I got home. I was curious as to why she would, but she shushed me and dragged me out for a walk. We ended up on the beach again, it was becoming habit. And then she asked me the question I was dreading. Why did I leave? Work was the first thing out of my mouth but she saw through that in a nanosecond. I told her the truth, that I wanted to get away from her, for two reasons. One, so that she may rekindle a stronger feeling for that loser and leave me alone, and two, so that I might shake the feeling I had for her. Unfortunately, neither happened. She called me sweet and kissed me softly. My face burned, but I enjoyed it. She then proceeded to ask my another odd question, work. She, much like Rebecca did, wanted a job. But unlike Rebecca, whom if I had kept a close watch on may have proved to have been an asset, Kujaku wanted something light. A secretary she told me. Who was I to argue? I wanted her near me, she wanted to do my filing and reports. There was no better combination at the time. I agreed, only to realize later that she couldn't possibly be doing this for money, she had enough of that already.

For the first few days, and even weeks, she proved to be helpful. But then, as I suspected, the flirting started and it caused not only delays, but injury. She was sliding across her office in her chair, spinning haphazardly as she went. Standing in the doorway, I gave her my fiercest glare, but she continued, only pausing to flash that cheeky grin in my direction. I ordered her to stop, but she declined. The next stretch she slid across the floor was the final one as the wheels of the chair slid out from underneath her and she came crashing down on the hardwood. Sighing, I walked over to check on her, injured employees weren't what I wanted to deal with now, or ever. She was holding her head, blood oozing out from between her fingers. It was a deep split, but nothing I couldn't mend on my own. Guiding her to the bathroom, I cleaned her up and treated her wound, ridiculing her all the while. She blamed me, the floor, and everything else she could think of as long as the fault didn't rest on her. I sent her home to rest for a few days while I got things cleaned up.

It wasn't a week later when another incident occurred. I had wandered into her office to find her slacking, with her feet on the desk. With a soda in my hand I told her off, but she refused, and proceeded to take the soda out of my hand. I scowled. This wasn't the way to treat the man that was paying your wages. After getting another one from the fridge, I returned to find her still in the same position. Walking over to her, I swiftly plucked the can from her hands, holding it above my head. Being this tall has its advantages. She got up immediately and tried to retrieve it. Taking her place in the chair I grinned and told her, if she wants it, she has to come and get it. The next thing I knew she was sitting in my lap, pleading at me with those big, round eyes. I faltered for perhaps a second, but I never gave in. holding the can behind me, she stretched even further. We were in danger of losing balance but she persisted. I could hold on no longer. We toppled backwards together, myself hitting the floor first, Kujaku landing on top of me. God she was heavier than she looked. I groaned and attempted to sit up, but she seemed content with being on my stomach. I still to this day don't understand the female mind.

There was a time when she actually proved useful, but it was a one-time occurrence, much to my disappointment. Pegasus was at his usual gimmicks again, but this time he had taken the person I loved; Mokuba. That bastard! Of all the things he could have chosen to steal from me, ideas, cards, machinery, he chose my goddamn brother. I made the decision the minute I found out: I was going out to steal him back. Kujaku insisted she assist me, and I took her up on it, you can never know when you might need to make a diversion. I threw some standard equipment into my briefcase and headed out to the fortress that the freak called home. I knew I couldn't just walk through the front door, he would be expecting that. The only other way was through the parkade. Upon arriving I told Kujaku to keep watch while I dismantled the alarm. Technically it was strong, but mechanically, it was weak. A few screws and I had the entire thing disabled. We snuck up through the stairwells, the elevators would have caused too much suspicion. Opening the door we found a burly security guard patrolling the hallway. I knew Mokuba was behind that door. Now it was Kujaku's turn to turn on the charm. With Kujaku flirting with the man, I crept around behind him and started to pick the lock. The tension in the atmosphere was incredible. I popped the lock open and ran inside. There he was, lying on the sofa. I grabbed him and bolted out the room, grabbing Kujaku by the wrist as I went by. We ran down the stairs and onto the streets, back to my house as quickly as I could with a woman in heels slowing me down. Bursting through the front door, I fell, panting on the couch, Mokuba in my arms. But something was wrong. He hadn't woken up, not once in all the commotion. I shook him softly, no response. I called him name, nothing. It wasn't until I touched his cheek that I knew what was wrong: it was a fake, a dummy. Pegasus had planted a dummy there in the anticipation that I would come for him. Cursing I flung the fake to the floor and buried my head in my hands. She came over and placed a hand on my shoulder, trying to console me, but nothing could lift my spirits after all that.

In the few short days that followed, I attempted to cheer myself up by planning out a birthday party for Mokuba. I even decided that people would be invited [for his sake] and that it would be a grand event. I went about planning presents, the cake, the color scheme, everything, only hoping that he would be here for it. Kujaku helped with the cake and the designs, but in the end, it was all in vain, as was much that I did as of late.

I remember it well, I had asked her the unthinkable: to move in with me. I had assumed she felt the same way as I did, so there wouldn't be an issue. Driving over to her house, I knocked cautiously on the door. She answered in her own casual way, throwing me a slight grin. I asked if she was ready and packed, but she wasn't. And what was more, she didn't seem ready to. I offered my help but was met with sharp remarks. Furious with her arrogant attitude, I made my way up the stoop and tried to get inside. When the door slammed in my face, I knew things were heading for disaster. I tried again the day after, she actually spoke to me this time. If you could call it speaking. One thing led to another and a full blown verbal fight took place in the streets of Domino. It escalated from petty name calling, to insults, to threats and slander. I told her that filthy sluts have no place in my life. She slapped me and told me that my ego and I could go straight to hell. Not to mention that she verified that I was no good at it. Huh, she would know. We went our separate ways after that day. She still worked for me, but our time together was little or none, which I enjoyed immensely.

Peace was an unusual concept as of late, but it seemed to come at last. Well deserved actually. I was required to fly to one of my business partners in another country to discuss a proposition. Upon entering the jet, I found nothing out of the ordinary. Halfway into my flight, the engine started to splutter, and before I could check the malfunction, the whole engine blew up, taking the jet with it. I was forcibly ejected out of the craft and landed roughly on the outskirts of a remote island. Severely injured, I managed to radio for help, the paramedics arriving within minutes of the news. I was taken to my private hospital and tended to immediately. They insisted that I remain in the hospital for a solid two weeks, but it would be mere days before I got out again. I was true to my word, and was back working on my projects in no time. The tabloids were all over the story when I got around to checking the papers. They deemed it a malfunction, I called it sabotage. I had a distinct feeling that Pegasus had done this, probably as a joke to him, to prove that he was still superior. Huh, that's where he was wrong, I was still standing. Little did I know that that was only the beginning of a long line of injuries.

Out of the blue one day, that Egyptian woman came up to me, asking a favor. She wanted me to find her brother. I was curious as to why she would seek me out for such a thing. She had told me that I was the only person with the resources to successfully find a person such as him. I nearly refused, I wanted nothing to do with that freak again, but she promised to reward me handsomely if the job was done. So I set about the task of rejoining her with her lost kin. The plan went smoothly, he was found in very little time, but he seemed displeased with the fact that I had done so. Even to go as far as to claiming that I merely 'bumped into him' and never actually 'found' him. Push lead to shove, and he started to insult me, and my intelligence. The verbal threats turned into physical ones, and before I knew it, that freak had me pinned against a tree with that dagger of his pressed against my throat. I laughed; I knew he didn't posses the gumption to actually carry through with his started plan. I was wrong. Sticking the point into my jaw and wishing me farewell, he thrust it into my face. The pain was nothing compare to the humiliation I was going through. Had it not been for that tank of a brother of his pulling him off, I may have been in much worse condition. They left me there to bleed. Ripping a strip of my coat off and using it as a blot, I staggered along the streets, slowly making my way towards the hospital; but I was afraid that I wasn't going to make it in time. Mariasha was walking opposite me, the only time I would reach out to her, ask for her help. I needed to stop the bleeding before I passed out. Coughing up gobs of blood, she ran into her house, grabbing supplies to keep me alive. She bandaged it up, poorly, but done nonetheless; but I had already lost too much. I could barely stand, much less walk, and was being dragged by this petite girl towards the emergency room. I don't remember actually getting there. I can assume I did upon waking up in the room, hooked up to several unnecessary machines. I removed myself from said hospital as soon as I was able to move on my own accord without fainting. Upon arriving home, I noticed a small but neatly wrapped package on my doorstep baring only the words "Thank You". A rare and precious treasure was wrapped up inside, undoubtedly from Ishizu. Hmph. After all the trouble I went through it seemed like a trifle of a payment. Nonetheless, my part was done, as was hers, and I hoped to never encounter the two [or three] of them again.

I decided yet again to hold a tournament, and hopefully a more successful one. I managed to round up a few contestants, none as intelligent as the last time. Yuugi, Marik, and Jounouchi were the only ones I recall, not that anyone else was worth remembering. That loser Katsuya dropped out quickly, leaving Yuugi and the freak to settle things. It seemed to drag on forever, Yuugi being intermittent at best. When he was around, it was seemingly just to pop his head in and notify us that his existence hadn't been snuffed out. After what seemed like an eternity, the winner had been chosen: Yuugi. The prize was still handsome, although not as much as the last one. A lifetime pass to my soon-to-be amusement park, KaibaLand. He claimed his prize with much enthusiasm, and left me to go about my business, yet again.

Tranquility seemed to grace Domino, if only for a few days. On one of my frequent outings to one of my other offices, morons interfered with my day yet again. Driving out of town, a motorcycle suddenly cut out on front of me, causing me to apply the brakes heavily. I lost control of the car and was hurled out of my seat and through the windshield after the vehicle collided with an adjacent tree. The paramedics arrived instantaneously, and rushed both myself and the cyclist to the hospital. Fractured bones, sprains, and deeps cuts were at the top of my list of injuries, but nothing life threatening. Even Mokuba was insistent that I stay in the hospital for the recommended time until I was fully healed. I obeyed, but for him and only him. He seemed extraordinarily upset of this particular incident. I have yet to figure out why.

I later found out that the person on the motorcycle was none other than the freak, Marik. But I was happy to hear that he escaped with much worse injures than I. I suppose it serves him right for cutting in front of me with little to no warning.

Something nagged at the back of mind my for quite some time after both of those incidents. Someone was willing to help me even though I've more than likely been an asshole to them. Mariasha. She bandaged me and dragged me to the appropriate people before it was too late. For a reason I have yet to figure out, I decided to reward her. The Duel Watches weren't selling as I had expected, so I figured word of mouth would be the easiest and cheapest way to get things done. Not knowing where she lived, I left it up to chance to find her again, check all her usual haunts on occasion. I finally stumbled across her, dining with her family at some dingy little diner on the edge of the highway. Hmph. A place like that was no place for me, but I felt amends were to be made. Walking in, I made my way towards her, trying not to be recognized by the other patrons. Not that any of these blue collar slobs would know who I was. Not unless I started marketing coffee and beer. I walked up to her table to find that her family had accompanied her. Wonderful. Now three other people would witness Seto Kaiba being generous. Nonetheless I told them of the situation and presented her with the watch. She was thankful but she seemed uncertain as well. Her parents also seemed uncertain, I failed to see why. I made a snide comment about the lot of them; unfortunately, it seemed to offend them. We got into a rather large argument in the middle of the place, and Mariasha ended up slapping me across the face quite hard for insulting her parents. I should have destroyed the three of them right then and there, but instead I left her with a few choice words and exited the dump.

With a red mark to last me a week and a desire never to see a woman again, I took to my work. Not even a week went by before the walking issue named Kujaku appeared again to cause a commotion. I had bumped into her while minding my own business and she spilled some of her drink all over her coat. Whining at me, she tried to get me to apologize. I refused, but her constant nagging drove me to the brink of insanity. Doing the only other thing I knew how, I bribed her to keep her fool mouth shut, telling her that I would replace her coat if her whining desisted. She refused, and when I was insistent, she got defensive, insulting me to various degrees. I had had it with her, with that woman. I was going to prove to her that no matter what she thought, I was superior, I was the best, I had control over her. She wasn't going to leave until my side of the deal had been fulfilled, but upon her getting in her car, I knew I had to act quickly. I rammed my foot into her headlight. She swore and screamed at me so I proceeded to break the other one. She jumped out of the car, and I would have dragged her to the nearest store had that freak not shown up and kicked me in the ribs. I doubled over in pain, and he took her away on his motorcycle, leaving me to tend to my wounds. I doubt they were broken, fractured perhaps, but definitely bruised. I knew then and there that something had to be done about that asshole before he struck again.

I devised a plan as quickly as I could, making sure every detail was taken into consideration. This wasn't going to be easy, but if I accomplished it, it would be a great victory for Seto Kaiba. Sneaking up to his yacht near dusk, I managed to break in and knock Marik unconscious before he realized what was going on. I dragged him back to my house and promptly chained him to the couch in the basement. I was relishing the fact that I had done it so neatly, and yet, someone was always there to bring me down. Mokuba. He caught glimpse of the freak restrained downstairs and began to cry. I tried comforting, reassuring, and explaining the situation to him, but nothing seemed to make him happy except if I let him go. I had to convince him that he was needed tied up until I spoke with his siblings. Or rather, when they came to speak to me. That tank of a human tried to use brute force to gain entry but his efforts were in vain. Ishizu was much more diplomatic. We discussed many options, all of them being worthless in my eyes. Until she said she would do anything for her brother's safety. With raised eyebrows I echoed her words. She nodded, confirming her statement. Grinning, I took full advantage of this. I told her that she was to spend the night with me in return for letting her brother go. Heh, that loser was going to feel worse once he found out. I gave Mokuba the keys and Marik fled the premises, presumably back to his pathetic family. Ishizu was true to her word as well, following me home that very night. She was nervous, and inexperienced. My night together with her was dull, and I felt as though it wasn't as good a payment for releasing that freak than I had hoped for. We went our separate ways, and I rarely spoke to her after that. On the plus side, Marik was livid.

I had the misfortune of finding out that that idiot Ryuuji was back in town, and he had a thing for that loser's sister. They were constantly up each other's shirts and down each other pants on a daily, public basis. It was revolting to say the least. I didn't care about their relationship and I certainly didn't need to see them going at it in the middle of the street. Regardless, I did what I could to avoid them. But they deemed it necessary to make their actions known.

I had stepped out of the office, en route to one of my never ending meetings. According to that loser's sister, between the time I had stepped out, and the time I return, they managed to not only sneak into my office, but defile the very desk I work on! I was furious when the news reached me. I wasn't about to physically harm her, but Dice Boy on the other hand was about to be in a world of pain. Storming up to his arcade, I saw him in the doorway, drooling over the lesser-clad girls walking around. Disgusted, I approached him waiting for him to take notice. He started at my sight but gave me his casual attitude nonetheless. I told him I knew of his dirty deeds but he shrugged me off as if it didn't matter. I pressed on in a more blunt fashion, throwing threats into the conversation. He back paddled, but refused to give in. Gripping him by the collar, I told him straight. If I ever caught him again, his arcade and all he holds dear would be destroyed. Dropping him abruptly on the ground, I walked away, never wishing to deal with that idiot again.

Rebecca. This girl was one of the most unique people I have ever met. She didn't have a romantic interest in me, but an interest regardless. She showed up on my doorstep, begging me for work again. Again! She thrust folder upon folder of references, qualifications and the like at me, myself not bothered to read a single one. I asked her why she wanted this job and if she deserved it. She thrust the papers at me again accusing me of not reading them. I didn't want to see those things, any moron could get those; only the truly elite work for KaibaCorp and I wasn't about to start letting that reputation slip over some persistent little girl. She _insisted_ that I take a closer look; I demanded she give me a good reason to. Eventually she gave in, telling me that she chose KaibaCorp over all the others because it was superior in every way, shape and form and she wanted to help it succeed.

Intrigued, I accepted her request, setting her up to help Mokuba in the programming department to help de-bug and clean up the place. She took to it like a fish to water, almost too eagerly at first, but she seemed to mellow after the initial shock value wore off. She and Mokuba worked well together, completing every task ahead of schedule, much to my liking. I watched the two of them start to form a bond, and a much closer one than I would have liked to seen. I called her on it, and after a long and tedious argument, she agreed that she wouldn't date him, but would like to take him out sometime. Something about being with people his age. I begrudgingly accepted, solely for Mokuba's sake. I think that he was starting to develop feelings for her as well, something that, although it would be nice for him, I didn't want him to be with her of all people. I informed them both that they were to remain just friends and nothing more. He seemed slightly put off, but nothing else ever came of that conversation.

A week later, Rebecca came up to me, asking if there was anything remotely challenging to do in this company. My reply was short and to the point. She already had a good job; she needn't pursue something more advanced. Not that I would let someone like her into the deep bowels of KaibaCorp, into my own personal projects. But her persistent nature was something to reckon with. Never before had a person, or a woman for that matter, been able to persuade me so easily. I found it unnerving, and for once in my life, slightly alarming that I was giving in to this girl so easily when any other time I would have brushed her off. Was _I _starting to have feelings for this girl? No. Not after what happened with Kujaku. Women were never again to be on my list of things to pursue, and yet, this little creature seemed to be working her way into my life whether I liked it or not. I caved in again, after a rather well thought out speech on her behalf. I promoted her to work alongside Mokuba and myself, on my personal and bigger projects. She was ecstatic. She hugged me and even kissed me on the cheek out of sheer joy. Flustered, I told her that there was to be none of that in the workplace, and even touching me without permission was a risky move. Giggling, she ran off, in search of something to do, leaving me still rather stunned over the sudden display of affection.

As the days and weeks wore on, she was by my side almost constantly, and continued to touch, hold, and occasionally kiss me. Why I didn't reprimand her beyond a slight threat was beyond me. She was too young to date, and too old to care for like my brother. She was the oddest creature I had ever met, and yet, I couldn't stop thinking about her. We grew closer, spending hours at a time in my office discussing anything except work. She'd ask me about love, and mock me about Kujaku; the latter very nearly getting her fired. But she had no fear, nothing seemed to bold to say, to do, to ask. She often found her place in my lap while I was at my desk, claiming it was easier than trying to talk to me from a distance. If this wasn't the case, I would more often than not, pick her up, and hold her close to me, talking to her from there. It was strange, the longer I held her, the more accustomed I became to her presence. Was I losing my edge yet again? How could I, Seto Kaiba, be becoming more tolerant of people?

Rebecca would often take long shifts or stay late in my office, sitting on a chair against the far wall with that stuffed toy of hers. Teddy-Chan I believe is what she called it. Why she stayed so late was beyond me, but she claimed she enjoyed my company, just being with me made her happy. One late night, as I was trying to get her to go home, she fell asleep on that chair. I had told her time and time again not to, and that there were plenty of suitable guest rooms for her to retire in, but she was insistent on that damn chair. Refusing to move on her own accord, I scooped her up in my arms, and proceeded to carry her downstairs to the couch, clinging to me more than usual. I felt oddly serene that night, with her in my arms, a feeling I couldn't quite pinpoint. Arriving downstairs, I attempted to set her down on the sofa, but she had fallen asleep clinging to me. I was torn. Do I give in to this inexplicable feeling, or do I shrug it off and unceremoniously tear her from my body and place her on the couch? I stood there for several minutes, contemplating my choices, eventually deciding on lying down with her. I couldn't disturb this sleeping girl; something about her was compelling me to stay with her. Pulling off my coat with my free arm, I lay down on the sofa with her on top of me, covering her with my jacket. I bid her good night, and fell asleep soon after.

Upon waking, I found her gone, and a note tucked into my breast pocket. I found myself smiling over the message and proceeded to get up in search of where she had gone. In her office, I walked up slowly behind her, asking her if she had slept well. She replied cheerily, saying that I was much more comfortable than the chair and would have to do that again sometime. Blushing, I told her that no such thing was ever going to happen again. She giggled at me, called me cute and went back to typing. Cute? Such an adjective had never been used to describe the great Seto Kaiba. Powerful, formidable, wealthy and a genius were all included, but never cute. She continued to tease me in this way, call me cute and adorable, but somewhere along the line, her tune changed to a much more serious note. Sitting on my lap one late afternoon, she began to question me about the same things Kujaku did: Life, love and a partner. I told her in the same flat tone I subject everyone to that I wasn't interested in anything like that. With Mokuba, KaibaCorp and soon to be KaibaLand, I had more than enough to worry about without a woman distracting me. She pressed on, telling me that I was merely ignorant to the idea of what a woman could do for me. Snarling, I told her to leave, but she continued, unafraid of me. She professed herself, that love was hard to obtain, and being a child genius, much like myself, often left our kind isolated, and unwanted in the standard community. It never bothered me, perhaps because I was engrossed in my father's company, but it seemed to affect her greatly. She wore on, speaking of Yuugi, her darling, and how they were meant to be together. Not only did the idea of fate disgust me, but her soppiness over him was sickening. I told her that if Yuugi really wanted her, he wouldn't bolt at the very sight of her. She tried to defend, but nothing came close to the hard reality. She was crestfallen, and any other time I would have taken great joy in accomplishing this, but, was this remorse I was feeling? I shook the feeling off, and consoled her the best I could without her thinking that I actually cared. She kissed me again, on the cheek and thanked me for being there for her. Flushed, I reminded her that it was nothing. She laughed and came up with another bold question: When was I going to kiss her back? I informed her that actions are not always returned, especially to little girls who seem to enjoy watching me blush. Poking me, and calling me a softly deep down, she left with a giggle and a skip in her step.

I pondered her request for several days, wondering why she would want one in return unless she felt something for me. Shaking my head, I dismissed the thought, pushing it as far out of my mind as I could. I didn't feel for this girl, nor care for her. Then why was I keeping her so close to me? Why was I telling her my past, my secrets, my desires? Nothing seemed to makes sense. At least with Kujaku, it was never a question of how I felt about her. I found myself again, with her in my arms, discussing the future, and once more, love. Why was she so obsessed with the emotion? And to feel the need to talk to me of all people about it. She claimed she understood me, being a child prodigy herself, but I made it quite clear that no one save for Mokuba understands how I feel. She told me that she often wished that people would praise her, that people would tell her that she had done well. I replied that I wish I could hear certain things too, but I realized my error too late. She looked inquisitively at me, and speaking in a soft voice, I told her the dreaded word: Love. I wanted to hear someone say that they loved me. God help me I wanted a woman to be by my side. Furious with myself, I sat there unspeaking until she placed a gentle hand on my face and informed me that she wished she could help. I don't know what compelled me to do what I did next, but I placed my lips softly against her cheek and kissed her gently. She was just as red as I was at this point, asking me why I had done that. I replied that I was merely fulfilling a prior request and that it meant nothing more than that. She called me a softy yet again and told me to be careful, or I would lose all the edge I had. Hmph. I wasn't about to listen to a little brat like her.

I saw less and less of Mokuba over the coming days and more and more of Rebecca. I found myself not only holding her, but carrying her around the house just to keep me company. We were close, closer than Kujaku and I had ever been, and I wanted to do something for her, but what. I knew I was falling for her, but I wasn't going to admit it nor pursue it. After the incident with Kujaku, I didn't want to be broken again, it wasn't worth it. Then it happened. Sitting at my desk, she walked in and promptly placed herself in my lap. Wrapping my arms around her lightly, I gave her a curious look. She told me that she felt strongly for me, that I was her ideal boyfriend, that she wanted me, but was scared of being rejected. I told her that I may possibly feel the same way, but I wasn't about to risk being hurt again. She looked me dead in the eyes and assured me that if this was going to happen, that she would never leave me, that she would never hurt me like Kujaku did, that she feels stronger about me than Kujaku ever could, that she loved me. My heart skipped a beat. Love? It seemed genuine, much more powerful than anything I had ever felt with that tramp. I returned her words, blushing slightly. I had fallen for this creature but it made much more sense this time around. Still uncertain of the whole situation she pressed her sweet lips to mine causing a sensation I had never felt before. Was this what love really was? It was nothing like what I went through with _her_. I felt content, even happy with her. Tightening my grip, I returned her kiss only to break apart moments later, bright red. She laughed softly and stroked my face, asking me how it felt. I was dumbstruck; all I could do was replay the kiss over and over in my head, the feeling in my chest seeming to grow faster and faster. I muttered a reply along the lines of 'wonderful', she kissed me on the cheek again, and told me I would see her tomorrow. In a daze, I wandered around my office and realized that it was February. February twelfth. Two days before Valentine's Day.

I knew I had to do something for her. It was customary wasn't it? I racked my brain but nothing came to mind save for dinner on the beach. Yes, it was the same place I took Kujaku, but I had a much better feeling about the whole ordeal this time. We made the plans and although we were shaky to begin with, we began to be more comfortable around each other. I bought her a dress, and we headed out to the restaurant. The conversation seemed strained at first, but the more I opened up to her, the easier things came. It was an odd thing, to trust another person with these secrets; someone who wasn't my brother. We ate, I paid, and we headed to the beach. More of my un-original ideas, but I couldn't help it, especially in situations such as these. Walking, she did most of the talking. I listened, and replied when necessary, but she seemed more than content to have it this way. When it got too dark to see, we headed back to my house and somehow, ended up in my office again of all places. We were all over each other. Kissing and touching each other passionately. I ventured a hand down her skirt and she glanced up at me, pink in the cheeks, and told me she was ready. I looked at her carefully. Was she serious? I repeated her question back at her and she confirmed her desire. I took her to the bedroom, my heart racing. This beautiful creature wanted me to take her? To make her a woman? If it was possible, I believe I was more fearful than she was at this point. She took off her clothes and lay there on the bed, mumbling something about not being good enough. Placing a finger on her lips, I assured her that she was more than good enough for me. I also stripped down to nothing, and upon seeing me naked, she blushed profusely. I climbed on top of her and in the midst of all the fear and anxiety; we found our passion for each other and spent an amazing night together.

We lay, side by side, breathing deeply. Neither of us had experienced anything like it, we connected in a way that Kujaku and I never did. From there on in, we we're officially a couple. I couldn't believe it; I, Seto Kaiba, in a relationship. Rebecca seemed pleased with the whole ordeal as well. But we decided it would be for the best if neither of us let Arthur know that we were dating, much less sleeping together. After regaining our composure, we dressed and made our way down to my car. Rebecca looked slightly disorientated, but thoroughly happy nonetheless. I drove her home, she bid me farewell, and we left each other with a goodnight kiss. Driving back to my house, I could think of nothing but her and the night we had just spent together. It was the best I had felt in months, and nothing could take this sensation from me.

Work was the most amazing thing with her. No matter what I did, or where I went, she would accompany me. In my office, in the control room, I once even admitted her into the central server room, from where the whole of KaibaCorp was controlled. She took to the latter instantly. She was totally and utterly enthralled with the idea of being so deeply involved in my company; something I had never before seen in an employee. But her enthusiasm and my constant stubbornness often led to more drastic situations. Shouting matches weren't uncommon between us, in fact, they were almost routine. If we didn't end up yelling at one another for some reason, we considered it a good day and made the most of it. But on the other end of the scale, when it was bad, it was horrid. A petty verbal fight turned into a full-blown argument one night, resulting in Rebecca climbing on my bookshelves for safety. I swore to her up and down that I wasn't about to strike her in any way, but she refused to budge. She thought she was clever in hiding up there. Too unstable to support my weight, but tall enough where she was just out of reach. I tried coaxing, bribing and downright ordering her to come down but stubborn as she was, refused to move until my anger had ebbed. I had given up at this point, she wasn't about to come down any time soon, so I headed out of the office to my bedroom. No sooner did I turn my back then she started to climb down on her own. Stuffed bear in one arm, she shakily made her way off the top, slipping as her foot failed to meet with the edge of the shelf. I bolted to the shelf to catch her only just in time, hurting my back in the process. She kissed me and apologized profusely; I shrugged it off, and told her it was nothing, and that it was just a little bruised. We went to bed together, and after another amazing night [she was getting rather fond of this night time activity] we fell asleep peacefully in each others' arms.

I was woken up abruptly the next morning by Rebecca whacking me with one of my pillows. Groaning I attempted to sit up, but my back had seized up completely due to the fall, and to some extent, the sex last night. I tried to disguise it as mere stiffness, but Rebecca saw through my charade instantly. Rushing around she got me painkillers and the like, phoned a doctor to come and see me in bed and proceeded to coddle me. I disliked being smothered. Being a full-grown, independent man such as myself, I never needed someone to take care of me. Then again, I've never had to catch my girlfriend from falling off of shelves before. She tried to talk me into staying in bed, I refused. She straddled me, kissing me all over making me promise I wouldn't over exert myself. I agreed as long as I was still allowed to work. She nodded, handing me my shirt and pants in the process. I tried to dress without being incapacitated by the pain, and without Rebecca noticing. Neither worked to my advantage. With Rebecca dressing me, and helping me around the house, I managed to get things done without being at a total standstill in progress. Needless to say, the back sprain made the next week, slightly less than enjoyable.

As the days and weeks wore on, we spent more and more time together to the point where our days work was left behind for a hot, random moment of passion. The tub, the bed, the office, everywhere we went, we tried new ways of making each other happy. On occasion, if she was exceptionally frisky, we did it more than once in a day. In the beginning I regretted it, losing all that time to passionate sex. But the inexplicable feelings that came from these times of closeness made it all worthwhile. When Rebecca and I were together like that, there was never a time that I didn't feel fulfilled. I started to think that maybe, just maybe, I was going to spend my life with this girl. I wasn't just keeping her around because I felt I had to, I wanted to. I wanted to spend my days and nights with her, if it was nothing more than being silent in each others' arms. She understood me, something I doubt any other woman could. People kept saying we were a bad couple, that I was too violent and she was too young. But no matter what those fools said, we felt too strongly for each other to let their petty words affect us.

Actions speak louder than words. Some punk by the name of Daichi* showed up and tried to take Domino as his own. Huh, if it was up to me I would have hog-tied him and shoved him on the next train to oblivion, but Rebecca was far softer than I was, and allowed him to board with her until he found a permanent residence of his own. I didn't like him from the moment I saw him. He was a cocky asshole who had little to no regard for other people. His very movements set me off, sending me into a fury that I could barely control. But on Rebecca's requests, I kept my distance and bothered with him as little as I could. Unfortunately, verbal, and sporadically physical, fights were a common thing between this asshole and myself. I despised how close he was getting to Rebecca, even if she claimed he was just trying to be hospitable.

They spent many hours together, going to various social outings, which irked me on two levels. Firstly, Rebecca never asked me to accompany her to such events, and secondly, why was I being replaced with a street punk who had the intelligence of a bullfrog? Hmph.

One day at work, I came across Rebecca in my office looking distinctly distressed. I sat down opposite her and asked her to tell me why her mood had taken a turn for the worst. She told me she had a small problem that needed to be worked out: Daichi. I knew that asshole was no good. Pressing on, she informed me that he had developed feelings for her. I told her to make certain that he knew that she wasn't returning those feelings. Nodding, she continued to tell me that he had not only grown fond of her, but made advances as well. Multiple times. I was furious at this point, swearing to destroy him the next time he ever crossed my path. But Rebecca was upset; and starting to sob she told me something that I never thought I would hear. She herself, had returned his gestures, willingly kissing him in return.

I was devastated. The woman I loved, the woman who swore she would never hurt me, never do what Kujaku did, was confessing right before my eyes. My emotions went from hurt to anger. I started to yell at her, questioning her as to why she did it. I asked her, had I done the same thing with Kujaku, would she have been so forgiving? She cried harder, and in a choking sob, she told me she wanted to feel attractive. In a raised voice I yelled at her further, telling her that I have done everything under the sun for her, and she goes about repaying me as such? I questioned her again, where did I go wrong? What did I do that made her think that she had to seek romance and solace from a gang member? She lit into me, telling me that I do nothing but run her ragged, that no matter how much she does for me, it was never enough! That no matter what ideas she threw at me, I shrugged them off as if she didn't matter. I started to see it clearly now; she never truly loved me, she was just using me like every other woman in this god-forsaken city. I asked her then, why was she willing to love someone so evil? If Daichi was caring, sweet and always there when you needed him, why continue to stay with me? I wasn't about to give her the slightest bit of a chance if she didn't care for me in the slightest. She told me that she loved me; that I was selfish, arrogant, twisted, violent, and downright insufferable but I was the only one she could ever love. And silently, she wrapped her arms around her legs and began to rock gently, crying all the while. I couldn't bear to see her this way, was I still in love with her? After what had just happened? I knelt down and picked her up softly, comforting her best I could. She murmured countless apologies to be but I hushed her words. She began to cry again, I held her close, stroking her hair softly. She started to fiddle with my collar as she often did in times of uncertainty, and I found my anger ebbing slowly the more she touched me. I carried her into the basement and lay on the couch with her on top of me. Shaken though I was, I knew deep down that I still cared for her too much to see it end like this. I stroked her face gently, and upon kissing her cheek, I felt better; not one hundred percent, but better. She seemed less than satisfied with the situation. She slid off me and began to pace about the room, muttering about Daichi and the likes. I told her that my offer of moving in with me still stood. She declined again and made for the exit. I was confused. Why was she leaving so quickly when we hadn't solved the problem? She told me that I needed time to properly sort myself out. She failed to realize that the issue had been nearly solved; I didn't need any more time away from her. She kissed me as she was passing by, but I pulled her back onto me, deepening the kiss further. She followed suit, and nibbling gently on my lip, she begged for entrance. I allowed her in eagerly and before too long we were back in our element; two passionate lovers in the mood for love.

When we returned to Earth from that heavenly act, we realized that we could never leave each other, not over something as trivial as that punk trying to win over girls that are devoted to other men. Peace had once again settled over the house, and everyone dwelling there.

Days later, I had the misfortune of running into the asshole that had caused all our previous problems. He mocked me, and told me that I didn't love Rebecca enough, that's why she came to him. I was furious, but shrugged it off. As I was leaving, he mentioned a fact that Rebecca declined to tell me. They had engaged in the act of 'phone sex' and enjoyed it. Even angrier than I was before, I confronted him. I told him that if he ever looks at her with an intention to make a move, I would have his existence snuffed out in a matter of seconds. He jeered at me, and taunted me further with disgusting details of their times together. That was too much for me to handle. To have the woman I loved being talked about in such a way drove me to physical means. I threw the first punch and it landed squarely in his chest. Instead of fighting back, he teased me yet again. I threw another, aiming for his face. He made no effort to dodge, but continued to egg me on. So I gave him his desire; I pummeled him into the ground until he lay lifeless and bloody in the middle of the street. Perhaps, after that, he would reconsider when dealing with girls, especially those dating the most powerful man in Domino. Dusting off my hands, I made my way home, not caring if anyone found that asshole. He could bleed to death for all I cared.

About a week after the initial incident with Daichi, and Rebecca's confession, I saw her in my kitchen with her phone in pieces in front of her, looking sullen. I proceeded to question her as to her mood and with a tearful look, she told me that some inhumane psycho had beaten that punk who seduced her, within an inch of his life. I told her he deserved it. Her palm met heavily with my face. Snarling, I asked her what the hell that was for. My other cheek was subject to the same treatment. I informed her that he wanted me to do it to him! That he begged me to destroy him! It wasn't good enough for her. She made it clear that if I was to be the better man, that I would have walked away from the fight and left him unscathed. I remained firm in my belief that he deserved it but she saw otherwise. She was scared of me, scared that I was going to strike her at any moment. I hadn't yet, why would I? She had done, well, not nothing wrong, but a lot less to incur my wrath. We argued back and forth for an hour, moving from place to place, Rebecca locking herself in the bathroom to prevent me from reaching her. After yelling at the door for some time, she opened it slightly and looked past me. Making a swift move to the exit I did nothing to stop her, but inquired as to her intentions. The soft words she spoke next were words I never wanted to hear. She was leaving. Not just to get away for a while, but permanently. She wanted nothing more to do with me. I couldn't wrap my head around it, and in my hazed state, I watched her walk out the door.

I sat and thought about what had happened, why she had left, and what would be the solution to all of this? I figured that if I was to apologize to the street punk and sound somewhat sincere, that she would consider withdrawing her previous statement. So I headed to the public hospital to try and work my way through this. Upon confronting the asshole, he spat in my face, called me a psycho and made it clear that he would never accept an apology from me. Then and there I wanted to end his life, but thought better of it. Storming out, I headed to the next place on my list: Rebecca's.

Knocking loudly on her door she asked who it was without opening. I told her in a flat tone that it was Kaiba. She opened the door with raised eyebrows and a "what-the-hell-are-you-doing-here" look. I proceeded to tell her that I had apologized to that asshole and that I had brought her a gift: A new outfit, one that complimented her always bright eyes. She answered me in the same flat tone, wondering why I wasn't going to give it to my next 'belle'. I informed her that there wasn't going to be a next time. She may have opened the door to the ice man's heart, but if she wasn't there to fill the void, then no one was going to. She softened slightly, telling me that I overcame Kujaku, I could do it again. Not after this, not after knowing what love truly was. She had a thought and disappeared momentarily, returning with a small blue box in hand. I swallowed the knot in my throat. I knew what it was. It was the eternity ring she had designed for me after I had hurt myself. I couldn't accept it; it was a symbol of something that didn't exist anymore. She insisted and her perseverance got the better of me. I tried it on begrudgingly, but I found myself admiring it. It was a Blue Eyes, wrapped around itself, with sapphires for eyes. It was a stunning piece of work, even more admirable seeing as it had been personally designed by the woman who used to love me. I tried to make light conversation, but it went nowhere. I made my real intentions clear: that I wanted her back. But I knew she wasn't going to accept my offer so easily, so I made my way back to the limo. Something strange happened then, my legs gave way and I started having trouble walking, to the point where I had to crawl across the filthy ground to reach my vehicle. Rebecca came to my side, and seeing my pain, helped me into her house. We sat opposite each other, making broken conversation, forcing it out the best we could. We realized that nothing was going to happen so I bid her farewell. She hesitated, speaking for a moment but cutting herself off. Curious, I asked her what the rest of her query was. She wanted one last kiss. One last kiss before we went our separate ways, never to see each other in that way again. I agreed to her request, and as our lips touched, I felt an enormous weight being lifted off of my shoulders. After several seconds, I knew this was more than a kiss, but my mind refused to register that. My hands ventured to all their usual places, my tongue was happily down her throat again. It wasn't until she slid her soft hands into my shirt that I realized what was going on. I pulled back sharply and said that this was in danger of becoming so much more than a kiss. She snarled at me and dismissed me almost instantly. I kissed her cheek, and told her that if we meet again, it will be a pleasure. I lingered in the doorway, unwilling to leave, and watched her dial the airline for her tickets home to California, tears spilling down her cheeks. I ventured over, and dried her tears. Again, her palm met with my face. I recoiled slightly and hung up the phone on her. She was angry, but what else was new? I asked her why she was so adamant to get rid of me now when two minutes ago she would have ended up naked with me on the floor had we kept it up. She had no coherent answer, but shooed me out the door, slamming it behind me. That was the end. I knew there was nothing more to do but to go back to work, to my machines and technology.

Work was once again my life. As long as my empire continued to expand, there was nothing to worry about, nothing to dwell upon. I had pushed Rebecca and the time we spent together out of my mind for good. There's nothing gained from looking to the past. Besides, what with KaibaLand being opened in a matter of months, there was little to no time to think about what she had done. A fortnight passed since the incident and I received and email from her. Great. The last thing I wanted was to be reminded of her of all people. It was a request for me to send her belongings and the ring back to her in America. I declined. I had more important things to do than waste my resources on her. She insisted, saying that she would pay the postage should it be that much of an issue. I declined again, telling her that resources are more than money and I didn't have the time to humor her. Her unnerving ways got to me again somehow and I ended up agreeing to do her bidding as long as that was the last I heard from her. We reached an agreement. I packed up her possessions but glancing at the ring sitting on top of her clothing, I felt compelled to try it on again. Upon doing so, I was reacquainted with its beauty. No other man on this Earth felt like I do for that dragon and if this ring was to reside with anyone it would be me and me alone. I kept it, sending the rest of the box on its way, and again, engrossed myself in my world of work.

Not even a week had passed since I was free of her again, when I found my inbox plagued with another email from her. I was furious, but curious. Opening it, I found that she had wanted the ring of all things more than anything. I replied, stating that it was mine and therefore it shall remain in my possession. She continued, asking me that should I ever feel the need to dispose of it, that I send it to her prior to destroying it. I agreed, and felt that the conversation needn't be pursued further. But the female mind works differently. She asked me how I was. Impudence. She had no right to know any details about me beyond what the tabloids printed. My answer was short and to the point. "Fine" There was nothing more she needed to know. Not that I was struggling with work, that I felt I was lacking something important. No, that was solely my information. But she guessed from my reply that I was anything but fine. She asked me about my work, and when I refused to indulge her in the details, she told me that it didn't really matter to her. She had already hacked into the KaibaCorp mainframe and rewritten the security program, and arbitrarily picked a random password. I was livid. How DARE she do this to me? To the man who did so much for her! I let her know that she had a lot of goddamn nerve to pull a stunt like that and she replied saying that I didn't deserve to keep what she had worked on previously, so she rid the system of it. Whatever. She wasn't worth arguing with. I informed her of my workload and if there were no more pressing matters, that I should return to them to keep on schedule. Her bold nature stepped in again; she wanted to help. Help? Huh! I needed no such thing. Merely the lack of little girls bothering me would do the trick. But she was insistent, and after much deliberation and arguing, I agreed. I would email her the reports and having sorted them out, she would return them to me ready for filing. For 'something to do' she informed me. Hmph. My company and its work was not just something to fill the time. And then, out of the blue, she asked me a personal question; pertaining to the seminar I was obliged to go to in San Francisco next Friday. I found it odd, and slightly, well, obsessive that she would remember such a thing. I questioned her, and she replied, telling me that she was merely curious, nothing more. I doubted that. The odds of her remembering such a petty meeting were slim, but the fact that it was being held in the same city that she was staying in was what concerned me most. The chances were fifty/fifty of me going. But something was drawing to the positive side of the scale. Her; Rebecca. I wanted to see her again, but I wasn't about to jump in my jet and head over there, was I? I bid her goodbye, and sent her the first of the reports to be worked on. Pacing about my office I contemplated my situation. Do I continue on with this charade, and strike her from my heart entirely, or give in to this feeling that the rest of the world called love and bring her back to me? I emailed her back, mentioning that whilst I was in the USA, that I would like to take her out for coffee, as a small token of thanks for assisting me with my never-ending pile of paperwork. She seemed confused, but accepted nonetheless. She sent me her address and I gave her an approximate time of my arrival. It was settled. I was ready to go in a matter of hours. I would take my personal jet of course. Even my standard airliners take far too long to fuel and safety check; my jet was always in peak condition twenty-four seven. So at the first sign of clear flying, I took off, with little to no intention of actually attending the aforementioned seminar.

Landing in California some time later, I had to adjust myself; the language and their general ways of things were radically different from what I was used to at home. Not that English was ever an issue for me. Having to travel to many different countries for business purposes means you must be well learned in many languages. English was one of them. The greedy Americans were always the first to stick their noses in my ideas, but never the first willing to pay. Irrelevant. Taking out the slip of paper I had written her address on, I found my way down to the rental cars, and after picking out a suitable one [all wretched domestic models] I slowly made my way through the streets of the city on to her house. I found it with little effort; these places weren't hard to navigate unless you were a complete moron. I walked up to the door and knocked rather hesitantly. Why was I nervous? Of all emotions that I had to experience just then, nervous was the one? Ugh, I must have been losing my edge. Knocking again, she opened the door, surprised to see me. I made it known that I was ready to fulfill my claim, and take her out for coffee. She gave me a sideways glance and disappeared back into her house wordlessly. Amongst the many talents I possess, telepathy isn't one of them; and I wish these female creatures would explain to me what goes on in there instead of just acting upon it and leaving me to guess. She reappeared minutes later, dressed and ready to go. I offered her my arm, merely as a formal gesture, and we headed to my car, and I let her guide the two of us to the nearest acceptable place to sit and have a coffee.

We arrived at some frilly little shop she had picked out, saying it was quiet and the likes. Hmph. I didn't care how noisy the establishment was as long as the service and the products were up to standard. We walked in, separately for the first time, and found a table. I ordered our coffees, paid, and came back, setting the drinks down gently. It was surprisingly more awkward than I had expected. We sat across from each other and for several minutes, did nothing but sit there in absolute silence. There was the occasional shuffling of feet, or the odd thought that looked like it might have been voiced, but for the most part, the eerie quiet was the only thing to be heard. I was almost to the point of leaving for lack of something better to do when she broke the silence. She inquired to my well-being. I gave her my usual response. There wasn't much more to discuss that we hadn't said over emails.

After several more minutes of silence we decided that it would be in both of our best interests to head our separate ways. Upon leaving I asked if she knew of a decent hotel to stay in. She knew of a few, none completely up to my standard, but I had little choice. So getting back into the car, she gave my directions, which were oddly similar to the one I would have taken going back to her house. Upon questioning her, she blushed and muttered something under her breath. Regardless I drove back to her house and I nearly left when she insisted that I come inside, for just a few minutes. I agreed, and we went immediately up to her room and began to talk. It wasn't much of a conversation, but somewhere along the line, we felt a spark light between us. Looking at each other we realized that deep down, we still cared too deeply for each other to leave it like this. The next thing I knew we were in the passionate throws of love and nothing, not even the threat of her grandfather catching us, could take this moment away from us.

Upon regaining my composure and catching my breath, we lay side by side, smiling over past events. I was just about to take my leave when she asked me a favor: Stay the night. Stay the night? Why would I do such a thing? I had no further business here. But she insisted, saying that I was exhausted from the previous flight and needed a proper rest should I want to fly back in one piece. Her forcefulness when she wanted something was astonishing for such a young girl, and I gave in once again; but I wasn't about to stay at her house. Her grandfather and any other relatives that may have lived there would skin me alive should they find me not only in their house, but with their granddaughter. But she insisted, and after a few protests and pouts on her part, I ended up getting comfortable in her bed, with her next to me.

I found myself waking to an unfamiliar room, but a familiar voice. Rebecca; when I awoke, she scolded me and told me to return to my slumber. Laughing softly I asked her why? She looked at me with tired eyes, and told me that this might be the last time she sees me for a while. Sighing, I knew she was right, but neither of us refused to stay with one another until the issue was resolved. We got dressed and sat together on the bed, weighing out all possible options, but it came down to the fact that even if we had made up, my actions that caused all of this were unforgivable and so she wouldn't return until something was done to correct this. It was one of the most difficult situations I had ever been in. On one hand I could leave then and there and go back to my work, but on the other hand, the woman I love sat mere inches away from me, begging me to stay. I was torn between head and heart. Again, and I suspected not for the last time, this creature was forcing me to make a choice that any other time would have taken moments. I threw several more options at her, each falling as flat as the one before it. I was close to packing up and taking off without her, but she gave in to my final request. She would accompany me back to Domino, back home. I was smiling despite myself. I had won yet again, but this was a much greater victory than most. The only problem now was how to explain to her family why she was leaving just as soon as she had arrived. But when it came to relationships, I had to admit, Rebecca had the upper hand. She came up with a solution that was not only believable, but clever as well. So after we managed to sneak out of the house and enjoy a light lunch together, we headed back to explain the situation to her relatives. They bought it. Without a second thought no less! She most likely could have told them that she was off to marry the Prince of Wales and they'd have believed her. But that was to be expected of the Americans. They may have been some of the wealthiest, but certainly not the cleverest. The exception was coming home with me that night. After gathering her belonging and her final goodbyes, we headed to the airport to take my jet back to its hangar; back home.

When we touched down in Domino, she was fast asleep in the passenger seat and not wanting to disturb her, I picked her up and took her into my car and drove her home, only to have her semi-conscious when we arrived at my house. Guiding her up to my bedroom, she barely had the strength to kick off her shoes before she collapsed once again on the plush surface. Smiling despite myself, I headed off to catch up on the work that was left behind since I left on that whim three days prior. Hours later I came back up to check on her, with breakfast in hand. She was still sleeping when I entered the room, so I kissed her cheek and was about to leave when she mumbled something about a fairy tale in her sleep. Laughing softly I told her that there was no such thing as happily ever after. She grinned, now awake, and told me to leave her to her fantasies. I informed her that if _Princess _Rebecca wanted to eat, her food awaited her on the bedside table. She laughed and told me that she couldn't decide if I was Prince Charming, or the dragon holding her hostage. Either way, I was the wealthy creature in charge. She rolled her eyes at me and slipped off the bed, heading towards the shower. Why did my mind immediately go to thoughts of her in the shower? Shaking my head, I sat on the bed trying to concentrate on the task at hand. What task? What was I working on prior to this? I found myself walking to the bathroom, stripping as I made my way into the shower to accompany her. She squeaked when she spotted me, and I, grinning, asked her what was so frightening. She scolded me, telling me that my entrance was not an appropriate way to say hello. I beg to differ. As I reached for the shampoo, I 'accidentally' brushed against her, and she cheekily returned the favor. Before I knew it, we had added another notch in our ever-expanding belt of places we've expressed ourselves. The rest of the day went without a hitch, and we spent our first night back, together and happy, in each other's arms.

On one of my many trips to the kitchen to refuel during work hours, I came across Rebecca sitting there as well, enjoying my premium coffee. I sat down next to her; I could spare five minutes for someone I cared so deeply about. But the subject wasn't what I expected to be. That flirtatious moron Ryuuji was holding a costume party for his friends and Rebecca was one of them. While this in itself didn't bother me, she requested that I accompany her. I flat out refused. I wasn't about to socialize with all these morons and _certainly_ not in a costume that would more than likely be Rebecca's choosing. But she kissed me and touched me until I caved in. I swear being with her had made me more vulnerable. I begrudgingly accepted and I was immediately cast as Han Solo. Hmph, I suppose it could have been worse. I had an outfit custom fitted that very day and the following evening, we headed out to his worthless pit of a home to socialize with common morons.

We were one of the first to arrive, followed closely by Marik who looked equally as uncomfortable. I found a dark corner and immediately made my way to it, keeping as far out of range of human contact as possible. Rebecca on the other hand, took to the social aspect like a fish to water. Either way, I was content being ignored. That was until she decided that I should join in the conversation with her and Dice Boy. I refused multiple times, but she had her way in the end; I came into the more populated area of the party, but I still refused to engage in conversation with these losers. Of course, my witty remarks couldn't be contained forever and it led to an argument. Unfortunately it was interrupted by that street punk. Nobody seemed happy to see him; not Dice Boy, not his girlfriend, not Marik and above all, certainly not myself. Grinning he made his way up to me, asking me in a crude sentence when I was going to pay for his hospital bill. I spat at him, telling him that he didn't deserve such repayment; not from myself. Rebecca offered to help with the costs. Both Daichi and I told her no but for clearly different reasons. The argument escalated, turning into a shouting match that went around in circles. Rebecca, being fed up with the both of us, stormed out leaving me with a few choice words. I was furious at this point and I was ready to repeat my actions with that idiot when he pulled out a gun. Huh! He felt the need to _prove_ himself by brandishing a weapon at me. I stood my ground, a mere pistol wouldn't cause me to waver. Dice Boy on the other hand fled for the kitchen the moment the barrel was shown. He threatened me, I egged him on. He wasn't about to fire that in the middle of a crowded room, not with the amount of witnesses I would have had. He cocked the gun, grinning. I refused to play his childish games and turned to leave when he fired a live shot through the front door. So he was serious; or serious enough to fire at inanimate objects. Turning, I met his sickly grin with my best scowl, but his was far more grotesque. He shoved the gun into my arm with that same deranged face and threatened me again. I laughed in his face and told him that he didn't have the gumption to shoot a living creature. I felt it before I heard it. The impact was phenomenal, and it threw my body into a state of shock. I fell to the ground, using what little strength I had left to utter death threats and other unpleasant words to that asshole before he left laughing his fool head off. I passed out, partially from shock, partially from a slight blood loss, but either way I ended up in my hospital with my arm bandaged and myself swearing revenge on that asshole in any way I knew how.

After being discharged from the hospital [four days prior to the said date, on my order] I lay in my bed, nursing my wound and mulling over past events. The door opened and Rebecca stormed in, throwing her coat in the closet telling me off for my actions at the party. I asked her in a flat voice, what actions could I have possibly done to deserve being _shot_. She hadn't been informed of this yet, and upon hearing the news she rushed to my side and stroked my arm lovingly, apologizing profusely for her accusations and sobbing slightly muttering all the while about how if she had lost me. I told her that her fussing was unnecessary, but she continued on regardless. But she had a murderous glint in her eye; she wanted to kill Daichi. I laughed when she started playing out scenarios, and eventually convinced her that if we were going to snuff out his existence, we would need the proper plan and materials. She calmed down after that, kissing my arm, then my face, only to climb on top of me and stick her tongue down my throat. Surprised though I was, I wasn't about to complain at this point. And as I watched our clothing slowly but surely start to diminish, I knew I was in for another wild, passionate ride.

It was odd being the submissive one, but on account of my injury, there wasn't much choice. She, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy it immensely. We dressed lazily, knowing that there was still a full day's work ahead of us, and knowing that I wouldn't be much use in anything, I let Rebecca write her own contract. She bothered me in the kitchen a couple hours later with a fair sized stack of papers; her contract. I looked over it, again and again wondering how she had managed to work all these perks into it and if she thought that I was actually going to let her get away with this. She gave me her standard syrupy smile and asked what the problem was. I informed her that what she had written was absurd and could be classed as extortion should it become a legal document. Shrugging, she helped herself to another drink out of the fridge and made her way out, but not before I stopped her. I handed her a pen and the stack of papers; it wasn't entire out of my power to grant her what she wanted, but instead of signing it, she immediately threw the papers in the garbage. She gave me a false innocence look and skipped out of the kitchen. Grumbling and cradling my still injured arm, I headed back upstairs, crawling into bed seeing as I wasn't much use anywhere else. Rebecca visited me some time later with a slightly less intimidating stack of papers; her revised contract. Upon looking it over I found it far more reasonable, and other than a couple things that needed to be eliminated, I was willing to let her have this. But again, the female mind works differently than I had thought, and when I told her of the changes, she threw a fit and stormed out the door.

The hours turned into days and I still didn't see her. My attempts to contact her also proved fruitless. I couldn't understand why she would up and leave over something as petty as a contract. But I encountered her, at work no less, and inquired as to her whereabouts and doings. She flung a stack of papers at me, stating that she had researched a list of potential candidates to interview for the position of Senior Officer. I nearly asked why she wasn't taking the position, but the look on her face kept me quiet. I did however ask that she come with me to the interview, and assist me in evaluating the girl she had chosen. She agreed and we met in the boardroom, her, the girl I was supposed to care about, and me. I could see the sweat forming on this woman's face, but instead of letting me have my usual way; Rebecca would interrupt me and soothe her, essentially making me look less intimidating. After the ordeal was done, I nearly threw my notes into the trash, not wanting to let someone so foreign that close to myself, but Rebecca was insistent that I give her a chance, seeing as she answered all my questions with ease and other than being frightened of the CEO, she performed well. I placed the notes back onto the table and lay back in my chair. Rebecca, curious to my actions, inquired if I would be staying in the boardroom further than necessary. I informed her that I enjoy the quiet and the solitude and that I would leave when I felt the time was right. Closing my eyes, I reclined slightly, waiting for her to take her leave. She did something unexpected instead; whilst my eyes were closed, she leaned over me and pressed her sweet lips to mine. For a split second I was confused, but then the wave of passion that often washes over me when she kisses me took control and I was happy for the moment. When we broke apart, her expression was almost apologetic. She told me that this was the beginning of the healing period. Hmph. She just wanted an excuse to be further away from me than she already was. Giving her an indifferent answer as I often did, I went back to reclining. Expression dropping, she gave me a few choice words and stormed out of the house. Knowing her, it was either to Shizuka's house, or to her flaky boyfriend. Whatever. I would let her blow off what steam she had until she was ready to return. I wasn't going to force her this time.

Mokuba however, took the situation far worse. Upon hearing of our recent arguments and squabbles, he finally snapped. With a bag over his shoulder I caught him attempting to sneak out the front door unnoticed. When I questioned him on his behavior, he told me that he was leaving. Not for the afternoon, the night, or the week; but until Rebecca and I could solidify our rocky relationship. I refused to allow him to leave, but he was nimble and quick and maneuvered around me before I knew it. Chasing after him into the streets I did everything I could in my power to stop him. Nothing was enough. I ordered, pleaded, begged, bribed and reasoned with him, but nothing short of precisely what he wanted would sway his decision. I knew where he was going. Noa. He was the only person Mokuba would think to go to. He mentioned Marik, and Kujaku, but ultimately, he would end up with Gozaburo's virtual offspring. I couldn't let him end up there. Once with that freak, he would only be brainwashed and led to believe that I was always in the wrong and if he stayed and sided with Noa, that he would be protected and loved like never before. I would lose him forever and Noa would be able to gain access to my most treasured possession: KaibaCorp. I followed him into an alley and after a long, tedious argument, my resistance gave way, and I gave up. He was as good as gone and there was little to nothing I could do. Crumpled in the alleyway, I watched as my brother, the boy who had stood beside me through thick and thin, and my only true friend, walk out of my life.

Several days later, I received a text from Rebecca, informing me of the need to discuss our situation. When I found a free moment to do so, I called her, and apologized for my actions and my lack of support over the past weeks. She seemed stunned momentarily, but upon regaining her composure, asked me to pick her up at Dice Boy's house. It was my turn to be shocked. I wasn't expecting such a fast turnaround considering how escalated our fights prior to this were. Nonetheless I complied with her requests and within minutes I was dressed and on the road heading back to the woman I loved. I spotted her on the road side, not far from Dice Boy's house. I pulled over and opened the passenger door, and with no hesitation, she slid in and buckled up. Before I could even inquire to her well-being, she pulled me into a heated kiss, grinning from ear to ear. I took her display of affection as a good sign and began light conversation. She had other plans. Dancing her fingers down my thigh, she suggested we make up in unusual ways. Shivering with anticipation, I focused on the road, knowing she was about to make me feel fantastic. With a few swift moves, she had me in a position I never thought I'd be in, and before I lost all concentration on the road, I veered into an alleyway and let her work her magic.

Still grinning broadly, she taunted me with her half-naked body, luring me into the back seat of my car. I wasn't expecting such an eventful reunion, but who was I to argue? We went about our dirty deed, the thrill of being caught making it all the more exhilarating. After our romp in the car, we headed home, planning to be far naughtier in the coming days. It seemed as though there was never a wrong place to express ourselves, and being the highly influential man I am, I could get us out of any sticky situations we may have gotten into.

As the days progressed, the obnoxious side of Yuugi was always over my shoulder, nagging at me one way or another about my relationship with Rebecca. It seemed he had a never-ending list of things that were wrong with me and insisted on bringing them up in the worst possible ways. After one of his less amusing rants about my temper, I decided that I had had enough. I set out to end his blathering once and for all and confronted him. My words, as always, had no effect on what little brain matter he had, but physical force hit him where it hurt. After teaching him a well-needed lesson, he uttered something strange, something unlike him. He said that for hurting him physically, that he would return the gesture tenfold in a way that would damage me more. And wishing me farewell to something I cherished, I blacked out, remembering nothing more until I awoke in the hospital.

Upon waking and reading my reports, they said I had suffered from a mild case of amnesia. Huh, that idiot said the same, but what could have been missing? Mokuba and KaibaCorp were accounted for; there was nothing else in my life worth remembering. Oddly enough there was a ring on my right hand, I had no clue how it could have gotten there. I don't wear jewelry. I shook my head and was just about to tell the doctors that I was ready to leave when that blond brat came rushing into my room calling me all sorts of pet names. Disgusted, I inquired to her overly-affectionate behavior to her employer. She looked at me funny, but didn't give up her charade. She bent over the rail of the bed and attempted to kiss me! Snarling, I shoved her away, telling her that I don't date little girls. In fact, after the incident with Kujaku, I wasn't going to be dating at all. She looked more than distraught; downright horrified at points. She was insistent that we were dating. And not only dating but living together no less! She kept asking me odd, personal questions and eventually pointed to the ring on my hand. So it was her who slipped this tacky piece of jewelry on my hand while I was unconscious! Hmph! She asked me why I didn't remember her, when on the contrary, I did. I remembered her dying my hair an unnatural shade of green, I remembered her dragging me to the beach with Kujaku, I remembered her asking me for a premium job, and getting it no less! But no amount of pleading would make me believe that I was dating such a creature. She mentioned in a low voice that we should return to work, and I made it clear that the only one giving orders around here was to be myself. She burst into tears and ran into the hall, causing a commotion with some of the doctors. I followed shortly after, and upon seeing me again, she headed swiftly for the exit, and into a taxi cab. I walked over and rested my arm on the roof, inquiring as to her choice of public transportation over my limo when we were essentially heading to the same place. Her answer was that she was told never to ride with strangers. Huh! I wasn't a stranger, I was her boss, and if she wanted to keep her current job, then she would listen to my orders and get into my car. She refused yet again, and when I attempted to use force to get her to come with me, she fled out the other door and started running. Presumably back to KaibaCorp. I followed, catching up quickly, and grabbing her by the wrist, I asked her one last time what her issue was. I saw the fearful look in her eyes and almost faltered. Releasing her, she told me that she was searching for her man. For the person who was perfect for her in every single way. She was searching for me, but apparently a different side of me that I was unaware existed.

We walked back to KaibaCorp in strained conversation, and upon approaching the gates; she pulled out her personal access card and let us in. I was furious. How the hell did she manage to get clearance like that? Fuming, I led her into the living room and agreed to let her have an hour of my time to rationally speak with her about her in-depth fantasies. She disappeared upstairs and returned with an arm full of papers, photos, her laptop, and a coffee balanced hazardously on top of it all. Taking it with one hand, I set it down on the table, assuming it was hers, but my guess was incorrect, and she had made the beverage for me. She began to pull out various items that were mine, or I had bought for her, none which seemed familiar in the slightest. A blue note book was next, and it vaguely rang a bell, but clearly nothing worth remembering. She asked me if I remembered the chair. I nodded in agreement, adding that the scale had also come into play. I believe she was a four the last time I checked. I recalled catching her off my shelving, but not much past that. She seemed defeated, and told me to drink the coffee. I took a sip, finding it just the way I like it, and leaving me to wonder what else she may have known about me. She slid into the kitchen, but not before mentioning that my favorite shirt was airing on the bed. Confused, I followed her, sitting down at the table, watching her closely. She went about the task of making herself a coffee, when she uttered an apology to me. I was somewhat taken aback and I inquired as to why she had spoken it. She felt that she was putting too much pressure on an already injured man, and because she loved me, felt it was only right to apologize. Her apology was unnecessary for the most part; I just wish she would have stopper with her rather elaborate fantasies. After her coffee was finished, she mentioned that she wished to go back to work, but judging from her pirated pass, there was little to do under my watch for the time being. Said that she was finished with me and just wanted to work. This creature was far from through with me. I told her such and laughing I made a point that she most likely had pictures of me taped to her bedroom walls. She lit up and ran out of the room, saying something about photos. Returning with several of them, she lay them down on the table, pointing to one with not only her and I, but Mokuba as well. It had to be fake. A very clever fake, but a fake nonetheless. It looked like me, an uncanny amount, but the 'Seto' in this photo was genuinely smiling; a rare occurrence. I was adamant that the person in this photo wasn't myself, and when I made this fact clear, Rebecca burst into hysteric tears and fled the kitchen. I finished the remainder of my coffee and headed up to my office. It wasn't my job to chase teary girls all over KaibaCorp.

Once back in my office and into my element, I felt at ease once more, and nearly forgot about the little blond who had been so persistent that we be together. Hours passed when an idea struck me. I would put her to the test. I wanted to see just how dedicated to my company she was. I sent her a brief email asking her to meet me in my office for further duties. I was surprised when she knocked. I let her in and explained that there was a new security system I was testing and that should it prove to be sufficient, I would release it to the public. I wanted her to try it. She agreed and as I led her downstairs to the main processor, I was smirking from ear to ear. Only two people have access to that door, she wasn't one of them. When we arrived at the door, she pulled out her pass. I informed her that it wouldn't work here, but with a blank face, she walked right in. If I wasn't enraged enough that she had the access she did, this nearly put me over the edge. I stood behind her, fuming. This wasn't happening. Why would I let another _soul_ near the very heart of KaibaCorp? She took to the program easily and fixed what she deemed was necessary. After all was said and done, I demanded that her pass and release forms were to be left on my desk for further inspection. Beyond that, she was free to go. She left with an air of sadness, and I made my way to my bedroom to relax for a few minutes. No sooner had I opened the door than I found her personal possessions strewn about the place, as if they had been there for months.

Furious, I called her down to discuss this, but she fled to the shelves, and hiding on the topmost one, she cowered in fear, assuming I would strike her if she got into range. I tried to reassure her that no matter how angry I was with her at any given time, I would never hit her. But I was curious as to why she was so adamant about this relationship. Even if all she said was true, I didn't remember a thing. She started to get upset again, and push came to shove and in the midst of all the yelling, I faltered for a second. The look in her eyes was sincere: she wanted nothing more than this relationship and the man she loved so dearly. There was a twinge in my chest, and walking calmly up to the shelves, I asked that she come down before someone got hurt. She slipped silently into my arms, and I held her for a brief moment before setting her down. I told her that I was displeased with her belongings thrown across my room, and that I was to hear nothing more of this so-called relationship unless prompted. She did have one last concern: she had nowhere to stay. Again, I gave in to this creature, and allowed her to spend the night on the sofa until further arrangements could be made. She disappeared upstairs to gather her belongings, and I set up the couch. When she came back down, she apologized for her behavior, for hurting me. I was confused. She hadn't hurt me, merely confused me as to why such an intelligent girl would concoct such an elaborate story. But curiosity got the better of me, and I asked her, just how far did her fantasies go? She hesitated, not wanting to answer, but if she was to stay the night, she would comply with my requests.

For a half hour she wore on about our life together. Of our arguments, our passion, our eternity rings, and our intimate ways. She spoke of engagement, of marriage, and of an unrivaled love that we shared. Her favorite place was in my arms, and although it seemed farfetched, her eyes told me that this had truly happened, or that she was a girl obsessed. Shaking my head, I wanted to hear no more of this. I offered her my hospitality once more before I retired, and she asked if I would bring her down a blanket. I agreed, and found her stuffed bear on my bed along with a spare blanket. Handing both to her, I placed a hand on her head and wondered aloud why someone so smart had the inability to cope with being alone. She sighed, and said that she cared too deeply about me to let me go so easily. I didn't particularly care at this point. But then her bold nature suggested something. Dinner. I agreed to it, and told her to get dressed immediately, hoping that she would have something semi-appropriate to wear. She came back downstairs dressed in a stunning blue dress and despite my best efforts; I was slightly impressed with her. We made our way to the limo, the restaurant, and back again; not getting any further along in things than before. It seemed to come down to one thing: This relationship that she spoke of may have happened, but I didn't recall a moment of it. When we arrived back home, we headed our separate ways, changed, and made our ways to our respective beds, but not before I bid her a final goodnight. She gave me a quick hug, but I found myself holding onto her longer than expected. I carried her up to my room, suggesting that she use my bed for the night seeing as I sleep very little to begin with. But she wouldn't stay unless I was with her. Reluctantly I lay down beside her in my bed, my arms wrapped lightly around her waist. She kissed me goodnight, almost on the lips, and before I had the time to protest, she was fast asleep. Her calm breathing and hint of a smile triggered something, and I too, felt peaceful for once, and fell deeply asleep next to her.

Upon waking, I found her snuggled into my arms, almost clinging to me. I whispered her name, and when she awoke, she greeted me with her usual pet names. In my flattest tone, I informed her that she was to refer to me as Seto or Kaiba, not darling or the likes. She disentangled herself from me quickly and headed to the bathroom. I headed downstairs to make myself a cup of coffee. I needed something to help me focus, especially after what had happened last night. She came down not twenty minutes later, dressed as though she was trying to impress me. I took little notice, although she did have a flair for accessories. She sat down opposite me after helping herself to a coffee and proceeded to try and make this so-called relationship work yet again. But she took a different tangent this time; attempting to horrify me into believing all the things she was saying, down to personal, intimate things that only I knew. I scoffed, knowing that she was bluffing, or had an eerie knack for guessing rather accurately. After many minutes of this pointless bantering, she gave up, and asked for one single thing: To have the man she loved back. There was a twinge of guilt in my chest, and I told her sincerely, that if I knew how to return him to her, I would. I wasn't to blame, I felt nothing for her; and yet, I still nearly felt responsible for her loss. Nonetheless, nothing was going to come of it any time soon. Her tear-stained face and lost expression wouldn't turn me, would it? Moments later I found myself knelt down beside her, her face in my hand, trying to make her believe that this wasn't the end of the world. She said she was willing to fight to get back what she had lost, but there was only defeat in her eyes. What compelled me to do what I did next was beyond me, but I had a thought that perhaps, if I should give her a kiss, she would be able to find the fire that lit her passion to find her partner again. As I placed my lips on hers, a world of memories came flooding back to me; of her and I, of our entire relationship. She was telling the truth all along, and it came down to a single kiss to bring it all back. We embraced each other for several minutes, and deciding that it would be best for the both of us, we went our separate ways, and took to recovering from the past few days.

After some brief research, I found out who the asshole was behind this little charade, and I was going to pound his spiky-haired head into the dirt. I confronted him on the streets, finding him lingering around a greasy fast food joint, and brought my matter to attention. He felt no remorse for what he had done, and offered nothing in return for causing such hardships. Not even for Rebecca, whom he claimed to care for as a friend. My options were clear: Destroy him. I landed a square punch to the nose and when he staggered backwards, I dropped him to his knees. The only retorts he could come up with were angry, primitive grunts, so I threw my foot into his stomach to stop his whining. He lay there, almost motionless, but clearly conscious and unharmed for the most part. Satisfied with my work, I headed back to the office to celebrate my victory. But my celebrations were short-lived. Word as usual has its way of travelling quicker than expected, and when Rebecca found out of my actions, she left me yet again, throwing countless slings and insults my way before storming out the door.

That was the last I ever saw of her, not a single indication that she had ever been in my house, or my life, save for one solitary photo of her, Mokuba and I. She took off, presumable for America, leaving her friends and everything she had started here behind. I for one was relieved in a sense that I would never have to endure all the hardships and constant arguments that came with being in a relationship; but much like Kujaku, I couldn't forget her completely no matter how I tried.

The New Year came and went without a hitch, Mokuba and I spent it in my office, myself doing paperwork, Mokuba curled up in the corner trying desperately to stay awake until the clock chimed midnight but to no avail. I slowly got back into my work routine and never before had I felt better to be in it. Mokuba was on the other hand, absent as of late, and after many days of his random disappearing, I questioned him about it. It seems that he was spending the vast majority of his time with the foghorn; the loudmouth, clueless girl Mana. I didn't approve of this in the slightest. Kujaku was cunning, Rebecca, brilliant. This girl was as absent-minded as one can get without being completely void of logical thought. But Mokuba insisted that he was happiest with her, only second to making our projects come to fruition, and as much as I disliked this girl, I couldn't take away my brother's happiness. Begrudgingly I accompanied them on a couple outings, for the most part to make sure that this girl wasn't about to hurt my brother like I had been hurt in the past. But to them it was so much more innocent; it was just an exclusive play-date, an excuse to spend time together. So I retracted from my protective presence and let them go about their lives. It was the best thing I could do for both of them.


End file.
